A First Look At Dubai Design Week 2025: What We Know So Far

by Alexandra Mansilla

A First Look At Dubai Design Week 2025: What We Know So Far

29 Jul 2025

A Present Absent Mudhif, Ola Saad Znad

So, mark your calendars: the 11th edition of Dubai Design Week is happening November 4–9, 2025. As always, at Dubai Design District (d3). And, as always, it is a huge gathering of creative minds, designers, and innovators who come together to share ideas, push boundaries, and rethink how design shapes the way we live.

What do we actually know so far about this year’s event?

First up — the big theme. This year’s central idea is Community, in line with the UAE’s Year of Community initiative. Everything you’ll see is about connection: design not just as invention, but as a way to bring people together, spark conversations, and build a sense of belonging. Expect projects that highlight how we live, collaborate, and care for each other as a society.

Second — the programme itself. Urban Commissions, the annual international design competition, returns with a new challenge: Courtyard. Designers and architects are invited to reimagine this classic Middle Eastern space, not just as architecture, but as the beating heart of communal life. It is a call to dream up courtyards as places for gathering, creativity, and collective energy.

Third — Abwab 2025. Abwab (Arabic for “doors”) opens even wider this year, welcoming submissions from across West, South and East Asia, and Africa. The 2025 theme is In the Details — an invitation to create immersive, hands-on spaces where stories, history, and ornament come alive through craft and design.

TukTukDum by Altqadum; Iwan Pavillion by Ithra; Enfold by DEOND and The Neo-Majlis by Future Bedouin

Fourth — exhibitions, installations, workshops, and the market. This year’s exhibitions bring together schools, collectives, and solo creatives to show off the freshest ideas in design across cultures, disciplines, and materials.

Outdoor installations by architects, designers, and brands will pop up all over d3, exploring what inclusive, sustainable public spaces could look like in the future.

There will be hands-on workshops at Maker Space, open to all ages and levels, plus a whole line-up of immersive experiences, pop-ups, and creative collaborations.

And don’t skip the marketplace: it is packed with original pieces by the region’s best makers, alongside food, music, activities for kids, and live performances.

Collective Installation Pensieri Riflessi; Tanween by Tashkeel; Consentino

Fifth — Downtown Design. From November 5–9, Downtown Design will showcase the latest collections and boldest ideas from some of the world’s most influential design brands. Think immersive installations, talks from industry leaders (including Tom Dixon’s Dubai debut), and headline collaborations you won’t see anywhere else.

Sixth — Editions Art & Design. After a hugely successful first run last year, the region’s only fair dedicated to limited-edition art and design is back November 6–9 (with a preview on the 5th). Fifty galleries, studios, and collectives — local and global — will show off everything from collectable furniture and ceramics to photography, prints, and artist multiples. It is a fresh way to discover art at every price point.

Editions 2024

Seventh — d3 Architecture Exhibition. Organised by d3 with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), this show is all about how architecture connects us, tying in perfectly with the Year of Community. Expect bold ideas about building for togetherness, openness, and a sustainable future.

There is no question about whether we are going — it is a definite yes. Now we are just waiting for the full list of participants to drop so we can start planning who to check out first.

by Alexandra Mansilla